One woman’s holiday – and more – was turned upside down this week when a scammer posing as a toy drive donor attacked and kidnapped her.
Erin Quinn, a volunteer for the local toy drive in her Southern California community, didn’t think much of it when she received a text from an unknown number claiming to be from an old woman looking to donate gifts. KTLA reported this.
Quinn accepted, and the scammer – who called himself Connie in messages – gave her an address where she could pick up the donations.
When Quinn arrived at the house on Wednesday and started walking towards the house, she received another message saying someone was bringing the toys to her car.
But when Quinn got back to her car, someone was already waiting for her inside – and that’s when things got out of hand.
A woman sitting in the back seat pulled Quinn’s hair, shocked her with a Taser and then ordered her to drive.
About 25 minutes later, Quinn — who had been hit about 30 times with the Taser up to that point — crashed the vehicle.
The two women got out of the car and started fighting. While fighting off her attacker, Quinn bit off part of her finger, according to KTLA.
“I kicked her as hard as I could,” Quinn told the outlet.
“She tried to put her fingers in my mouth, perhaps in an attempt to rip my mouth open, and in total panic I bit off part of her finger in self-defense because I didn’t know what else to do. Doing.”
Quinn said it was then that she recognized her attacker: her ex-housekeeper, Olga Mendez, disguised in a blonde wig.
Quinn was only able to escape when a bystander – whom she called her “hero” – rushed to her side to help, although “several construction workers in the area [had] witnessed what was going on, videotaped it and did nothing,” she complained.
Quinn suffered bruises on her legs, taser burns on her head, pulled out tufts of hair and broken nails.
Local authorities have not yet arrested any suspects, but Quinn is convinced it was her old housekeeper, who may have been planning to take her across the border.
“I’m convinced her plan was to kidnap me and take me to Mexico for ransom or sale,” Quinn explained.
“I’m completely terrified. I don’t know why she would do this.”
“All I was trying to do was help with the Christmas toy drive and I thought I could come over real quick and pick up these presents before I started my work day,” Quinn said, adding that her “whole world turned upside down stood.” upside down” after the terrifying ordeal.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Quinn, started by her close friend, has raised $1,890 of its $8,000 goal so far.
